Man gets life for murder and attempted murder

A man has pleaded guilty to the murder of his former partner’s sister and attempting to murder the mother of his two children in a double shooting incident in Bellaghy on May 19th of last year.

A jury was sworn in at Derry Crown Court to hear the murder case, but in an unexpected development, Phelim McNally (27) changed his plea and admitted murdering Lauren O’Neill (18) and attempting to murder her sister Brenda O’Neill (22), in her home in William Court, Bellaghy.

In an almost inaudible whisper McNally, Station Road, Toome, pleaded guilty yesterday before a packed Belfast Crown Court, where his case had been listed at the last minute for mention.

Appropriate tariff
Following his pleas, Mr Justice Treacy told McNally the only sentence the court could pass was one of life imprisonment, but that later this month he would "deal with the question of the appropriate tariff", setting out how long he must serve of the life term.

When the jury was sworn in yesterday, it had been told that at the time of the double shooting, Brenda O’Neill was McNally’s former partner and Lauren was her younger sister.

They also heard that the three principal witnesses in the case would be Ms O’Neill and her parents, Laurence and Bernadette O’Neill.

Young children
An earlier court hearing heard that at the time of the shooting, McNally's two young children, one aged three years and one aged 10 months, were in the house before he opened fire.

The court also heard that Lauren, who had just turned 18, was killed trying to protect her sister, who managed, despite being seriously wounded, to make it to a neighbour’s home to raise the alarm.

Emergency surgery
Ms O'Neill, who had to undergo emergency surgery, spent more than three weeks in hospital and so missed he sister's funeral, which was attended by, among others, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin), Mid Ulster Sinn Féin MLA Francie Brolly and SDLP MLA, also for Mid Ulster, Patsy McGlone.

Ms O’Neill, surrounded by family and friends left the Laganside courtroom after the plea, not wanting to comment on proceedings nor on McNally’s change of plea.